Thank You Alexandre Dumas!

The name sly lady in The Three Musketeers was the answer to today's Houston Chronicle crossword puzzle clue for 10-down! ____de Winter in The Three Musketeers. Answer: Milady

The Three Musketeers

I've made through the first 100 pages of The Three Musketeers. I have to admit that they were quite a challenge to get through because of Dumas's great attention to detail in the descriptions of EVERY character, including the lackeys. However, I have gotten to the point of the court intrigue in the book and things are moving right along. Alexandre Dumas has given me one gift so far and that is the gift of short chapters. It makes the book a little easier to plow through until I get into the thick of the plot. I can already understand how the book made the list, though. It is a masterwork of French literature and Dumas's writing style emulates his contemporary Gustav Flaubert, who is the author of #7 on the list, Madame Bovary, so far my favorite book ever.

Anyway, I am soldering on like a good musketeer and I see many more sword fights in my immediate future.

Two Down, 98 to Go

I finished The Hound of the Baskervilles this morning and I have to say I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Usually, books follow an inevitable course of events that the reader can predict, which takes a lot of fun out of turning the page. Through most of this book though, I was thinking how clever Dr. Watson is and that maybe he is the real brains behind Sherlock Holmes. Surprise!!! I was wrong and quite pleasantly surprised by the cunning of the detective. Holmes is a genius in his work and uses simple logic to solve the mystery. Like real solved mysteries, there are questions left unanswered and the author does not see a need to tie up loose ends after the mystery is solved. I think that too often with modern fiction we expect to have all of our questions answered and not leave anything to conjecture. This is undoubtedly a result of television, where all problems are tied up in neat little packages after an hour.

Two books into the list and I have not been disappointed. The books really are quite enjoyable and I can see how each has earned its right to be included in the list. Next is The Three Musketeers. I am looking forward to this one because it is unlike anything I have read before. I am anticipating a great adventure, daring sword fights, intrigue in the French court and all manner of swashbuckling fun.

#99 - The Hound of the Baskervilles

Today I start reading The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a classic Sherlock Holmes mystery. Although I am sure that I will discover the wonderful merits of this book, right now I am thrilled that it is blessedly shorter (124 pages) than Gone With the Wind. On that note, #98, The Three Musketeers, will begin very soon! I am pretty excited about that one. But, Sherlock and Watson will get their just due. So, send in the Hound!

Finishing #100

I am finally finishing Gone With the Wind today. I loved the book even more this time around than I did the first time, but I have found that loving the book and loving the movie are very different. Although I can't imagine anyone else playing the leads better than Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable, Margaret Mitchell describes Rhett and Scarlett so wonderfully in the book that even if I had never seen the movie the plot would play in my head. I guess that's the point of a great novel and I have been away from fiction for so long that I forgot how enjoyable it can be when left in the hands of a gifted writer who gets that once-in-a-lifetime idea and translates it to the page.

Gone With the Wind was a pretty good test for me to see if I am really dedicated to this project. Being the first book on the list, it would have been really easy for me to just drop the idea and move on to something less than 700 pages. But frankly, I do give a damn. I made it through and I am looking forward to the next string of books on the list that I have never read and are, blessedly, shorter. So tomorrow is another day and the start of The Hound of Baskervilles!

Scarlett gets better with age

I am about half way through the Civil War in book #100, Gone With the Wind. It is so much easier to relate to a character like Scarlett in my mid 20s that it was in my early teens. I have always loved Scarlett; it's hard not to. But Margaret Mitchell's descriptions of first love, ferocious passion, heartache and "the one that got away" are impossible for a 13 year old to appreciate. Having lived through each of these experiences myself now, Scarlett's determination and grit are all the more impressive. And to think about her doing all that in the stifling Georgia heat piled with petticoats, lace and ribbons. Some days I'm doing good to get my hair out of a ponytail. Final thought: I love my fiance more than words, but I think I would need Aunt Pittypat's smelling salts if Rhett looked at me the way he looks at Scarlett.

100 - Gone With the Wind

I first read Gone With the Wind when I was 13 years old. I have read the sequel and Rhett's book, seen all the movies and know the script by heart. When I dug my copy out of the closet last night I was a little intimidated. I remember struggling with the language and concepts that are a little lofty for an 8th grader; but the Accelerated Reader points I got for it were amazine. Starting the book last night, I think I will enjoy it much more this time around, 13 years later. But was the print really that small 13 years ago? I may need reading glasses before this one is over.

In the beginning

I have thought about starting this adventure for a while and finally decided to take the plunge. I looked at a lot of 100 Best lists, but it took some searching to find one that I thought really encompassed the world of literature with a fair eye to history and place of origin. I am very happy with the list that I have decided to follow and although there are some very ambitious tomes included, I am determined to work my way through it and enjoy myself at the same time. I am not putting a time constraint on finishing the project, only pledging that I will read every day. The only rule is that even if I have already read a book that is on the list (or pretended to read it for an assignment) I have to read it again. So here I go! Wish me luck!